Dana-Carmen Bachmann, the Head of vocational training and adult education unit of the European Commission, says that fusion of vocational training and adult education units has enhanced Commission's work on both areas.
The units were joined from the beginning of 2013.
- Leading a combined unit with 30 staff members requires good organisation, within the unit and with other units and DG´s of the Commission, but also with a wide range of stakeholders, like NGOs, member states, and so on, Dana-Carmen Bachmann tells.
The first year in the lead of this Unit has been very interesting.
- Head of Vocational and Adult Education Unit has to keep her ears open and have an open dialogue with all the players of the field to avoid misunderstandings.
The Romanian lawyer, who has worked in the European context since the beginning of her career, was appointed as the Head of Unit at the Adult Learning unit in December 2011. She however went on a parental leave a few months after, and returned to office last October. The new Unit started soon after, in January 2013.
Strategies into action
Dana-Carmen Bachmann's job is to contribute to the development of adult learning and vocational education and training (VET) policies of the EU.
- We have clear policy visions based on EU´s growth strategy Europe 2020, Bruges Communiqué on enhanced European Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training and the Renewed European Agenda on Adult Learning. One of my unit's tasks is to support in putting these strategies into practice, she says. More...
Interuniversity Symposium ‘Families in Science’
Interuniversity Symposium ‘Families in Science’, Brussels, Belgium (13 September 2013)
The Interuniversity Symposium ‘Families in Science’, jointly organised by a number of universities, will take place in Brussels on 13 September.
The aim is to present “good practices in academic institutions and companies, to support staff members to combine a healthy family life and a successful career in science”. Personal testimonies of researchers with successful dual careers will be complemented by results from research projects on families in the scientific world.
To find out more or to register, please visit the event website.



